Who: Irene Adler and Raven Darkholme What: Dinner, dancing, discussing dreams, and acting on attraction. When: Monday, August 25th Where: A restaurant, then a club. Rating/Warnings: High PG-13/TV-14. They really get their flirt and seduction on. Status: Complete
Irene wasn’t entirely sure what the typical dressing level was like at the place Raven was taking her too, but a halter dress--black, fitted at the top and flowy from the waist to the knees--seldom went wrong. Getting ready was simple enough, but a recent dream did raise questions about her dance partner.
Raven wasn't exactly a common name, but it wasn't exactly common, either. And she hadn't actually gotten Raven's last name. And it could all be a very strange coincidence. However. What she knew from the network told that the OC was not always a place of coincidences, and that truly anything could happen.
Possibly even shapeshifters.
Irene heard the doorbell and smirked. Well, whatever the case, it should be an entertaining evening.
Raven was naked. Of course, it didn't look like she was, but like in her dreams she felt a certain freedom in having complete control over her appearance. She'd chosen to wear white, with a dress that exposed most of her chest in a deep v straight to her navel, and left her back bare. It was a soft fabric. She knew Irene couldn't see it, but she also knew ways to give the woman some idea of what she was wearing. And hopefully knock her socks off.
She waited at the door, feeling more nervous than she should. There was a distinct line between Mystique and Raven, and it was wearing away. She didn't know who she'd be on the other side, but she was enjoying a little bit of mystique in her life.
Irene paused upon reaching the door. “Is that you, Raven?” she called.
“Yes, it’s me.” Raven tried to keep her voice even, but she couldn’t help just a little bit of the lilt she’d had when they’d first met in the dreams.
Irene leaned her forehead against the door for a moment. That voice. She’d heard that tone--and a few others, from the same person--in her dream, and now she felt she’d know them anywhere.
Perhaps there really were no coincidences at all in the OC.
Collecting herself, Irene opened the door and smiled. “How do I look?”
“Spectacular.” Raven’s breath had hitched slightly when the door had opened. Her mind was a whirling storm of conflicted emotions and memories. Dancing with Irene in New York, fighting with people, the plans and the ever present fear that their species would be wiped out.
All of that had been for nothing, she knew. All their plans had been for nothing.
But she stared at Irene, before taking her arm. There was no species to save here. She didn’t have to play the villain except when she wanted to mess with people. “Just spectacular.”
Irene smiled and gave Raven’s arm a squeeze. “I wasn’t exactly sure what this place of yours called for, but I decided I couldn’t go wrong with a little black dress.” She tilted her head slightly. “Tell me, Raven. What did you choose to wear for this evening?”
She swallowed, then smiled. “White. The type of dress that hangs off my neck and leaves my shoulders bare, and with a v cut almost as far as your imagination is welcome to go. It’s a little shimmery.”
“Mmm. It sounds exquisite.” Irene smirked slightly. This should definitely be an interesting night. “Well. Let’s get going, shall we?”
Raven started walking with a little bit of a swish of her fabric, stroking her finger down Irene’s arm. “At least you can’t see my car, it’s a piece of crap.”
Mostly, she was considering stealing one from Frost Academy.
That got a chuckle. “I admit that I mainly judge cars by comfort and their ability to go from point A to point B in a reasonable amount of time.” Irene liked the light touches Raven gave her arm. She did rather hope there would be quite a lot of that. Especially since they both had bare shoulders.
Opening the door for Irene, Raven waited for her to be seated, unsure how much was being romantic and how much was being ablest. She knew that Irene was capable, at least in the dreams. She had to assume that was the same here. “Well the seats are pretty broken in. It used to be a lot nicer.”
Irene smiled at Raven for her assistance. She set her purse--which contained one of her folding canes, just in case--on her lap and buckled her seatbelt. “The seat is comfortable, no matter the condition,” she said.
“Then I won’t tell you what it looks like.” Raven laughed and closed the door, then sauntered around the other side to get into the driver’s seat. “What sort of music do you like?”
Irene smiled when Raven joined her in the car. “A variety, actually. Some classical music, some classic rock, some...classic pop? Oldies, I suppose. And newer things as well, though i don’t always manage to catch the name of the song or the artist.”
“I think there’s a classical station.” Raven fiddled with the radio until she found it, then put the car in gear. “It’s easier to talk over, anyway.” Though what to ask or say was up in the air. “You do psychology?” There!
“Mm, it is. The words don’t get lost among lyrics, but you can still enjoy the music.” Irene nodded. “I do. I see general patients, but I have a focus on grief and dealing with recovery from trauma, especially physical trauma.” She paused. “I lost my sight as the result of injuries from a car accident when I was thirteen. There had been the expectation that my already poor vision would leave me legally blind by twenty or thirty. The accident just sped things up rather more than anticipated. While my patients are usually surprised at first, knowing that I have some idea of what it’s like to adjust to life-altering events does seem to help them feel that I can understand their problems.”
Raven nodded, then caught herself. “That makes sense.” That was actually wonderful work and it made Raven reflect on her life. Everything she’d done had been somewhat selfish. Even coaching girls to become world class gymnasts had been to advance herself.
“It’s not the easiest job in the world,” Irene said, “but it suits me.” She turned her face toward Raven’s voice. “And what do you do? I believe I saw something about gymnastics on the network?”
“I..yes. I was a medallist in Athens and Beijing and I have a couple of worlds.” Raven said it like it wasn’t much. She grinned. “I guess you could say I’m flexible. I went into coaching and tutoring, but I just lost my last job…” She sighed. “Hopefully at least this time I won’t have rumors dogging me.”
“Impressive,” Irene said. Her mind did wonder just how flexible for a moment, but sje pushed the thought down. “That’s too bad about being out of work, though I hope you do have a respite from rumors.”
“Everyone accuses me of sleeping with my students, or the parents, or the headmasters. And god forbid I’m too close to a woman.” Raven made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat. “It was a miracle that Emma took me in.”
Irene made a tsk sound. “The downside of being famous. Do you have any thoughts on what else you might do for a living?”
“I’ve only ever been into gymnastics. My other skills are fairly limited though I was doing some history tutoring at the Frost Academy.” Raven eyed Irene’s arm, then rested her hand on it, lightly.
Irene smiled slightly at the touch. “Have you ever considered going back to school?”
“To learn what?” She glanced at Irene. “I don’t think there’s…anything I want to do.”
“Many free courses are available online. You might try...dabbling.” Irene reached over and trailed her fingertips along Raven’s arm. “Maybe find a way to work independently.”
“Perhaps I will.” Irene’s fingers raised goosebumps on her flesh and she felt her breath hitch.
Irene caught the hitch in Raven's breathing. She wanted to hear more of that sound, but in a better location than Raven's car while they were driving. They had the whole night ahead of them, after all. She eased her hand away and smiled. "I think you could do anything you put your mind to."
“Oh, I think I can too, the question is on knowing where to start. Maybe I do need a change.” But did she want to be Raven or Mystique? Every villain was a hero in their own minds and Raven had often felt like a hero who’d been pissing into the wind. If people labelled her a villain so be it.
“I think you’ll figure it out.” Irene smiled and let herself get lost in the music for a little as they drove.
“You’re a good person, Irene.” Better than Raven ever deserved. She pulled up to the restaurant and opted to valet park. One last huzzah before she had to live frugally, right?
“I try to improve the world where I can,” Irene said.
“Mm.” Raven took Irene’s arm again, for the trip inside. Since Irene couldn’t see the view, she’d picked a table that had the sound and smell of the ocean.
Irene appreciated Raven’s choice of “view.” She smiled as they sat down. “Sea-side. An excellent choice.”
“I thought it might be a little refreshing. And it makes me want to try seafood.” Raven had grown partial to seafood after living in Boston for awhile, and she liked it as fresh as possible.
Irene nodded. “Mm. There’s nothing quite like well-prepared seafood, I must admit. And with a sea side venue, it’s even better.”
"Order whatever you want," Raven said. Her expense account was good until the end of the month, and she can come up with a flimsy excuse why she was using it now. And she doubted Emma would care.
“What do they have in the way of lobster?” Irene asked. “Something that sounds...juicy.”
"I like juicy things." Raven had willpower, but she could also troll Irene. Maybe not as well as Irene could troll her (god when she remembered, Raven was doomed).
Irene smirked. “Order whatever lobster dish sounds best,” she said.
And Raven did, a lobster dish that she knew Irene loved in particular. Usually the sort of thing that would only come with knowing someone a long time, and she didn’t even think about it when she’d ordered.
“That’s an excellent choice.” That got a slight raise of the eyebrow from Irene. Coincidence, or shared dream-world? The Irene of the dreams had liked that dish as well. This would certainly be an interesting night.
“Something I’ve acquired a taste to,” Raven said, her smile in her voice. “I never used to like lobster.” But that had changed, like so many other things. She sank down into her chair, just a little.
Irene leaned back against her seat and just listened to the sounds of the sea for a moment as she prepared to ask a question. “You know, Raven...I don’t think you ever told me what your surname was.”
Shit.
Raven fidgeted, biting her lip and oh thank god there was the wine. She sipped at it in silence, before admitting. “Darkholme.”
Yes. Irene had guessed correctly. Irene managed not to smirk as she took a sip of her wine. “A pleasure to more fully make your acquaintance, Raven Darkholme.” She smiled. “Have you ever dreamed of London in the late 1800s?”
Well, it was out then. Raven set her glass back on the table, watching Irene's face. It was generally unreadable, if amused.
That was a pretty common expression for her dream lover. "Among other places in the 1800s, yes."
Irene let a bit of the smirk leak out. “Every play consulting detective while you were there?” Admittedly, this would be more interesting if she could See the way she could in the dreams, but hearing did well enough. And this was fun, getting Raven to know what she knew.
Raven’s voice shifted deeper. “I may have done some consulting.”
Irene shivered and took a long sip of her wine. That voice, too, was familiar, and it sent her mind back to other elements of her dream. “You turn the tables so very well, Raven.”
“It’s the other thing I excel at.” Every word was a different voice, and okay, maybe she was showing off a little, but she liked the reaction she was having on Irene.
“Mmm.” Perhaps she should have waited longer to play that card. There was, after all, dinner and dancing to get through. Though Irene expected the dancing would certainly be more...intense after this.
“I can be anyone, so who do you want me to be?” Though she said it as though it were a sensual offer, there was a warble to her voice. One of Raven’s fears was becoming...everything but who she actually was, even to herself. She didn’t even know if she was supposed to be Raven, the blonde, or Mystique, the redhead with blue skin.
The warble made Irene pause. She held a hand out on the table, hoping Raven would take it. “Who do you want to be, Raven?” She paused for a moment, then said, “I can’t...See you the way I could in the dreams. All I really have to go on right now is touch and hearing. You already have some idea of what you can do to me with just your voice, I think. Touch can mostly wait, for now. Whatever you decide, I would just advise waiting until after we eat so as not to utterly confuse the staff here.”
Raven laughed, the sound natural and familiar to Irene. She sighed softly. “That’s true, you can’t see me right now, and there’s no real difference in the touch of my skin no matter the color. I always appreciated that you...didn’t care. In the dreams. About the only thing.” And she grinned. “Is I can have some parts be firmer.”
Irene chuckled. “That is definitely a bonus.” Which she hoped to explore later. The waiter arrived with their food and Irene asked for more wine. “This certainly smells amazing.”
She tilted her head, and then got an idea. Maybe it was too much, but she wanted to be romantic and Irene probably still remembered what colors looked like, right? So she described the lobster in rich, delicious detail. It's color and the way it glistened, how juicy it was, and how well prepared it was.
The detail Raven went into was impressive, and Iren appreciated the gesture. “Thank you,” she said. Carefully, she took a bit of the lobster. “Mmm.” It was as good as it smelled, possibly even better. “This is wonderful.”
Keep making sounds like that, Raven thought, and I’m not going to be able to keep my hands off you later.
As it was, she was trying not to leer. Though Irene couldn’t see, others could. “I’m glad.”
Irene took a few moments to just immerse her senses in the food. She was really pleased with the selection, and she’d definitely have to remember this place in the future.
Raven licked her lips, then shifted her shoe off of her foot, and trailed a toe up Irene's shin. "That good?" Oh. Yes, this night was heading in a good direction. Irene smirked slightly and nodded. “So good…”
“I’m glad I got the same,” Raven replied, after taking a few moments to enjoy her meal. It was delicious and juicy and buttery and she really couldn’t get enough.
“An excellent choice.” Irene smirked again and sipped her wine.
“Well, I may have cheated a little, though I suppose you’ve already guessed.” She picked up her wind to sip it, glad Irene couldn’t see her eye darting.
Irene chuckled. “Yes, I thought that might have been what happened. I’d say we’re even on drawing from...past experience, as it were.”
“How much do you remember, from London?” Enough to realize they’d played the roles of Sherlock and Adler, at least.
“I remember London…” Irene paused for effect. “Intimately.”
Raven went scarlet and started to cough on her wine. “Well. That was a good time. For everyone involved.” The first time she’d woken from those dreams she’d been horribly embarrassed. She shouldn’t have been, it wasn’t the first Dream she’d had like that, just with Irene...things were a little different.
Irene had been the first person to really accept her as her.
“Mmm. It was.” Irene took a deep breath. “Though perhaps we should save more discussion of...particular aspects for a time when there are fewer choking hazards.”
“That’s probably a good idea, Irene.” Somehow Raven thought that wouldn’t be the last time that Irene said or did something to startle her. Or fluster her. It was like rolling dice, and Irene’s dice were loaded.
Irene nodded and continued eating her meal. The food was amazing, and she could hardly wait to see how the rest of the evening went.
It seemed to go pretty well all things considered. Raven had driven them around for awhile after eating, to let them digest before they went dancing. And she enjoyed the alone time.
The drive was nice and relaxing, and Irene appreciated it.
Finally, Raven parked. “We’re here. It’s pretty laid back.” She thought that it wouldn’t be too loud for Irene’s senses. And she hoped she could get the redhead to see through touch. She touched Irene’s knee (something she’d been doing the whole drive).
Irene had enjoyed that touch, as well. “I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s like,” she said.
Inside, it wasn't so crowded as to be overwhelming, but it wasn't dead either. It was right about the way that Raven liked it. She tightened her grip on Irene's hand and leaned in, breath warm in her ear. "Drinks or dancing, first?"
“Dancing first,” Irene said. She gave Raven’s hand a squeeze.
"Thank god." She all but yanked Irene out to the dance floor, then pulled her in close. She worried her dress was too skimpy for this - she hadn't really been thinking about this part, more about impressing Irene somehow. But they were here and it wasn't like her dress was going to fall off.
Irene chuckled as Raven dragged her onto the dance floor. Once they paused, she draped her arms around Raven’s shoulders and smiled.
The blonde began to move to the music, her arms threaded around Irene's waist. "Didn't you always lead? In London, I mean. And...other places." A bit of a spoiler there, but Raven didn't think Irene would mind.
“Only when you weren’t shifted into a man for the sake of public appearances.” Irene smirked. “And even some of that was more...me leading from a different direction. But yes, I did do quite a bit of leading in...less public venues.”
“I never had complaints,” Raven murmured, turning her head so that her cheek was against Irene’s ear. She wondered, ironically, if it was always her destiny to revolve around this woman. All of her actions in her dreams had been spurned on by her. Until she was gone, and then after the bullshit with her diaries Mystique had lost her way, and never found it again.
This was nice. And the music wasn’t bad, either. Not too raucous or too loud, but still appropriate for a club. Irene decided she could like the place, as long as Raven was with her. She pulled herself closer against Raven as a slower song came on, smiling faintly.
“Is it wrong of me to say that I’ve missed this?” Raven’s voice was breathy. “Even if it’s something I’ve never experienced before?”
“I don’t think it’s wrong,” Irene said. “I feel that way as well. There’s...a spark that different from anyone I’ve been with. I expect that remains true in the dream world, as well.”
"I don't want to pull any Destiny shit," Raven explained, thinking that Irene didn't quite get that pun yet. "I'm not the same, and you're not the same... but that doesn't mean I'm not.."
Raven's hands slid down Irene's side, resting on her hips to guide her in a sensual dance. She bit back a moan. "Very into you."
Irene shivered slightly as Raven’s hands made their way down her sides and swallowed hard when Raven moaned. She cupped Raven’s face in her hands, thumbs tracing her cheekbones. “And I...am very into you.”
She leaned in, her lips searching for Irene’s, and her fingers digging into the redhead’s rear.
Irene moaned into the kiss, slipping one hand to the back of Raven’s neck as she pressed their bodies against each other.
It was one of the best kisses that Raven had ever had. Warm and welcoming and electric, as though her body were finding another piece of itself to mold into. Let the people stare, she didn't give a shit. She never gave a shit. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she groaned.
Irene had a similar experience. Like something she hadn’t realized was missing fell into place with a surge of welcomed electricity. She didn’t care about onlookers; she couldn’t see them anyway.
Raven didn’t want to dance anymore. Not just dance. Her movements became more sensual, the kiss deeper, her body responding with the kind of carnal hunger you only read about in romance novels.
This was no longer just a dance, not the kind confined to a dance floor, anyway, and Irene knew the next steps she wanted to take. She broke the kiss and moved her lips close to Raven’s ear. “Shall we continue this at my place? I suggest mine because I know where my furniture is already…”
That brought a laugh right out of Raven's throat, the kind that just bubbles up. She hadn't had a laugh like that in ages. "I'm going to have to call a cab, because even without drinking you've made it impossible for me to focus."
Irene grinned broadly at Raven’s laugh. “I would definitely prefer us to make it back to mine in one piece.”
Obviously, car crashes were something personal to Irene, and Raven smiled, glad she'd made the right choice. "I can be whoever you want. Man, woman, neither...I just want you to... enjoy yourself." Irene kissed Raven again. “And I want you to enjoy yourself as well. Though I think you might enjoy surprising me a little with your choices.”
Raven’s grin was wicked, though her face went hot. “Deal.”